Western Rose
by Charlottlette
Summary: A FB western! 10 years after losing her parents to the Crimson Haired Bandit, Tohru finds that her perfect life had not been so after meeting the drifter Kyou...
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer-Fruits Basket does not belong to me.

Western Rose by Charlottlette

Proloque

"Damnit, we weren't supposed to get innocent bystanders involved! That's why I'm the leader of this group, not you!" the young man shouted at his partner.

"Shut up! This is no time to argue. We had to make it look like we meant business or nobody would take us seriously. Yuki and I don't take orders from you anyway, Kyou. We never have!" his partner shouted back.

The young couple that the trip had taken hostage during a daring daytime train robbery huddle protectively around their young child, a small girl of barely eight years old.

She hadn't begun to cry until the three outlaws began to argue amongst themselves, only a few years older than her themselves. Through her tears, she tried to observe them.

She was the less frightened of their leader, the one they called the Crimson Haired Bandit, a stubborn teenager with a surprisingly kind face. His adversary was his right hand man he called Hatsuharu, a tall youth with short platinum blonde hair dressed in black leather. The quiet one that had tied them up was named Yuki, a sullen teen who seemed to be loyal to Haru than to their leader.

"I don't have time to deal with your petty complaints right now! Even if I for one minute, considered stepping down as leader of this group, you still wouldn't be worthy of being my replacement." their leader told Haru.

Yuki sighed. "Please...we got what we came for and we agreed this would be our last heist anyway. I'm sure the authorities will find these three and untie them once we make our escape." he told them.

Hatsuharu turned on their leader then.

"Oh? So that was your plan then? To disband our little group without informing me? Well I'm sorry but I have a problem with that. I want to make a name for myself just as you have as a feared outlaw! That's the reason Yuki and I took these people prisioner, you see? Once I take their lives, everyone will fear me instead of you!" Haru laughed.

Their leader rose from the floor where he had been kneeling, his face a mask of unbridled fury. Only moments before his demeanor had seemed to be quite the opposite as he had knelt in front of the couple out of concern, turning his dark soulful eyes on the crying child. She had stopped crying then and had returned his gaze, finding nothing but kindness in his lingering stare before he had rose to confront his leather clad partner.

"No, I will not allow that! Our group has never harmed a human soul on any heist and we're not about to start now! I will not allow them to get hurt!" their leader shouted.

Haru chuckled. "You don't make the decisions anymore. It is no longer up to you, Kyou." he told him.

Watching as hsi angry partner raised his weapon from its holster, Kyou launched himself at the younger man, the pair struggling against each other for possession. Kyou flinched as he heard the young girl bgin to cry again, her parents struggling wildly against their bonds to free themselves.

Fearful of the angry pair, Yuki did not dare interfere, even as he heard the young girl scream from the sound of a gun shot ring out. Her scream had muffled out everyone else's, as both Kyou and Haru fell to the floor.

It appeared as though Kyou had come out the victor of the fight, as Haru and Yuki were nowhere to be found once the excitement died down. The young girl watched Kyou as he fell to the ground with the gun in his hand, wincing from where the bullet had pierced just above his right knee.

"Oh my gods...no..." he whispered.

He hadn't intended it to happen, and he certainly couldn't face the trusting eyes of the little girl whose parents had just been the victims of his and Haru's confrontation.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered to her through his tears as he disappeared into the night...


	2. past and future

"Oh, but if you were a dancer for my troupe, I would certainly have to call you Midnight Rose, darling, because you truly are divine!" Ayame cooed at his favorite barmaid.

Tohru laughed softly with a slight blush. "You know my fiancee would never approve. He is a doctor after all. I mustn't do anything sorrid to tarnish his reputation." she told him.

The baretender, a dark haired man by the name of Shigure, nodded.

"Which makes you wonder why he approves at all about you as a waitress as this bar." he told her.

She sighed. "He doesn't really approve, but he knows that you are all like family to me and I have to support myself somehow until we're married." she told him.

Her best friend, an adorably boyish young man, embraced her affectionately.

"We're the only family you have left. You know we love you." he told her.

Tohru smiled. "Thank you, Momiji. I appreciate that." she said.

Shigure shook his head in frustration.

"Yes. It is really a shame what that outlaw did to your parents. For having claim to never killed anyone, the Crimson Haired Bandit certainly changed his mind there at the end. It's still hard to believe to this day." he said.

'There's still a part of me that doesn't think he pulled the trigger. I know he was a dangerous outlaw, but I was there! I saw into his eyes and I just know he didn't mean for it to happen." she told them.

Momiji took her hands in his.

"Let's not talk about such unpleasant things anymore. It's your lunch hour, right Tohru? Let me treat you to a meal, please." he pleaded with her.

Tohru smiled. "You know I can never say no to you, Momiji. Of course you can. I'll be back soon, okay?" she asked the others.

Shigure smiled. "Okay. Be safe!" he told her.

As Tohru and Momiji walked away, they waved at the arrival of the town sherriff Yuki, who had once been a member of the Crimson Haired Bandit's gang. Having spent some time in prision for his crimes, he had reformed and joined the right side of the law. It had taken him some time to earn the trust of others, but his ardent protectiveness over the innocent Tohru had sealed his favor.

There wasn't a citzen in the small town that didn't adore the young orphaned teen, who had lost her parents in a confrintation with the Crimson Haired Bandit. To them, he was the scorge of their existance and the most protective of all were those closest to her, the baretender Shigure, best friend Momiji, sherriff Yuki and her legal guardian since that fateful day, the very friendly owner of the local girls dance troupe, Ayame Rose.

Then of course there was her fiancee' Hatori, the respectable doctor. Tall and handsome, Tohru had become the envy of all the women in town for claiming the mysterious dark haired physician as her own. Since she was only eighteen and becuase he was building his practice, they had not yet been intimate, nor had they even kissed or shared tender embraces very often.

Momiji often inquired about their romantic status out of concern, but she reassured her closest friend constantly that she was sure that Hatori was just being respectful and waiting until their wedding night.

"I respect him for that. It just proves how much he loves me." she had told him.

It was also a well known fact that Hatori was just as envied as she was. Many men in the town had fallen in love with Tohru over the years just based on her sweet, open personality and patient kindness towards others.

That included her best friend Momiji, who had known her since they were ten years old and with whom she had shared her first kiss. It had been an innocent, chaste kiss, but it had sealed his heart to hers forever with mutual affection.

Shigure and Ayame, who had been best friends their whole lives, were older men and considered her to be like family. Ayame had assumed guardianship of her once her parents had died, and often bemoaned the misfortune of her beauty not being showcased as one of his dancers.

That was one of the few things in her life Hatori vocally disaproved of. It was well known that the women of Ayame's dance troupe were scantilly clad ladies that hid their assets beneath frilly dresses of Ayame's own design, the long haired tailor basking in the limelight of being their benefactor. He was used to dressing and undressing beautiful women, and he knew that his Tohru's lovely blossoming figure would be perfect for his group.

What kept him from being arrested was Tohru's friendship with the local sherriff Yuki, another one of her many admirers. Having been there when the gunshot had gone off, he felt as though it was his duty now to protect her from those that might wish to harm her.

He had never been a very trusting soul and he knew that his former associates were still out there and could strike at any time. He had heard rumors that his former partner Hatsuharu was roaming the countryside in search of their former leader, wanting to finish what they had started so long before...

The Crimson Haired Bandit indeed, Kyou thought, as he rode into town on the back of his horse. I've always hated that infernal nickname. My hair isn't even red, it's orange, he fumed. The nickname had only stuck becuase it was easier to say and more memorable, and allowe dhim to hide his true indentity. To the few that knew him, his name was Kyou, a young man on the verge of turning twenty four and wanting to turn his life around.

He had given up his life of crime that terrible day, the day that he had wrestled with his rival Hatsuharu and had ended up with a permanent limp on his right side. The prisioners they had taken had suffered a much worse fate and he knew he would be forever blamed for it. He was the Crimson Haired Bandit, after all, the most fearsome outlaw in the country.

Since that time, he had never been able to have any kind of normal life, having to keep a low profile to avoid being caught for crimes committed in his teens and living off the savings he's acquired doing honest work over the years. The limp was a asset in that way, that it made employers feel sorry for thr mysterious drifter they'd pay under the table because they felt sorry for him.

It was also an asset in the romance department, making women want to claim him as someone to take care of. He admired the new breed of women that took care of themselves and didn't depend on men to support them, as was common in his day.

It was probably the main reason he had become an outlaw, to support his mother whose husband had died at an early age. Too proud to take jobs that she felt were beneath her when Kyou needed her most, he had takne up the slack and had taken his father's place.

He and his rival Hatsuharu had that in common, only Haru had a tendency to want to keep his windfalls for himself and eventually he and his young cousin Yuki had had to join Kyou's group permanently.

Perhaps that was why he still felt so guilty to this day about that little girl having been orphaned that day, remembering how she had returned his stare with wide, inocent eyes when he had desperately wanted to take her into his arms and protect her from harm.

She hadn't seen which of them had fired the gun, so there was no doubt that she blamed him and he blamed himself as well. To this day, he knew he would still do anything to avenge their deaths on their true murderer, his former partner and rival Hatsuharu. Dismounting from his horse as they stopped at the edge of a pristine blue lake with a sharp wince, Kyou sighed as he resigned himself to his fate of searching forevermore...


	3. kyou and tohru meet

Disclaimer-Fruits Basket does not belong to me.

"Tohru, what's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost." Momiji commented.

The dark haired beauty sitting across from him at the saloon table had nearly choked on her lunch when she had noticed a familiar pair of eyes find hers from within the crowd on the street. The young man tha thad caused her condition was a stranger though, a drifter with a disfiguring limp.

"Oh no, I'm fine. I just thought I saw someone I knew. My mistake." she told him.

Momiji reached across the table to kiss her across the cheek. "I don't know what to think about you sometimes, Tohru Rose, but I love you anyway." he said with a smile.

She blushed. "You're sweet. Thank you." she replied.

Finishing their meal in silence, Tohru couldn't help but glance through the crowd again to find that strange man. She felt sorry for him for that terrible limp, the pain of it registering in his face and those dark, dark eyes that were so familiar...

"So tell me what you think of these new costumes I created, Shigure." Ayame asked his friend as they sat at the bar.

Shigure smiled as he carefully inspected the two new costumes that rested on padded hangers in his hands. They were both of similiar material, one naughty, one nice. The naughty one was a gorgeous black satin and lace dress that opened up to reveal a form fitting matching corset and frilly panties with black lace garter belt and fishnet stockings. The other was a white frilly satin dress that opened up to a white lace corset and matching panties with a white lace garter belt and white lace stockings.

"Well, I know this black outfit would look fantastic on your lead dancer Rin, but I have a sneaking feeling the white one is intended for Tohru." Shigure said.

"Oh yes! I designed it for her honeymoon with Hatori. Poor frigid man...I know he won't be able to resist her in this ensemble. He's just lucky she's such a honorable girl. I raised her well, after all." Ayame boasted.

Both men jumped, startled all of the sudden, at the appearance of the newcomer in the bar who had grown impatient and had slammed his fist down on the bar.

"Where the hell is the bartender?" Kyou demanded.

Shigure laughed nervously. "I'm sorry about that. I'm the bartender. What can I get for you?" he asked him.

"Something strong to make me forget the pain in my leg and my troubles." he replied.

Shigure cocked his head at him. "Injuried leg, huh? What happened, were you on the wrong end of an agrument or something?" he laughed.

Kyou narrowed his eyes at him. "You could say that. Just serve me my drink already." he told him.

Ayame smiled at him. "I don't believe we've been introduced. My name is Ayame Rose. I am the owner of this fine establishment and you are?" he asked.

"My name is Kyou." he said.

Ayame nodded. "Well then, welcome Kyou. I can set you up with a room if you like if you would do me the pleasure of entertaining one of my ladies." he said.

"Is she one of them?" Kyou asked, pointing to the girl that had just walked in with her escort.

"Heavens no! This is my young charge, Tohru Rose. She doesn't work here as a dancer, but I'll be happy to introduce you. Come here, Tohru sweetheart. I must introduce you to someone." Ayame said.

Slowly letting go of Momiji's hand, she stopped in her tracks as their eyes met across the room. "I...I know you." she whispered to herself.

"Did you say something, Tohru? Kyou, this is Tohru. Tohru, this is Kyou." he told her.

She held out a hand for him to shake with a smile. "Hello. It's nice to meet you." she said.

Ayame was so proud to be introducing his lovely adopted daughter that he didn't even notice their mutual gasp as their hands touched, confirming for them both that somehow they had known each other before. Kyou cleared his throat before speaking again.

"Yes. It's nice to meet you too, Tohru." he told her.

"Oh dear, another man's fallen under Tohru's spell as always." Shigure teased.

Tohru laughed. "Don't be mean. We were simply introducing ourselves. Please don't let me disturb you, Kyou." she told him.

He reached out to grab her wrist before she walked away. "Wait. Are you one of the waitresses? Because I'd rather leave my tip to a pretty girl." Kyou said.

Tohru laughed. "Yes. You can sit in those booths over there and enjoy the floor show. It's about to start." she told him.

Oh yeah, this is right up my alley, the leather clad outlaw thought to himself as he skulked into the darkening saloon and made himself comfortable in the best viewing place possible. His hearty addiction was that of the female form, and to ogle the ladies of the designer Ayame's dance troupe was a sweet treat indeed.

He was especially fond of their lead dancer, a dark haired nymph named Rin. She was bold and gorgeous, with a mane of shiny midnight back hair that caressed her rounded backside and a body so curvy he was almost in tears.

He knew whenever she saw him in the audience, she would disrobe that much quicker, giving him teasin glimpses of her womanly treasures as she danced before him. He almost enjoyed the chase more than the capture in this instance, but his prey this night instead was the man a few booths away.

It had been several years since he had seen the man they called the Crimson Haired Bandit, his former partner and rival, but he knew he would recognize Kyou's short orange hair anywhere. He snickered when he thought of their last heist, knowing the gun had gone off due to his own doing, killing his prisioners and injuring his obstinate leader. If Kyou was to stand and have some kind of noticeable impairment, he would know for sure, but...for now, his attentions were riveted by the captivating Rin and her many talents, he thought with a smile...

"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face in this town." a familiar voice told Kyou.

Kyou narrowed his eyes at the disembodied voice that had spoken to him from within the pitch black of the darkened room. "Am I supposed to know you?" he asked.

The stranger laughed as he sat down across from him in the booth.

"I'm sure it will come to you soon enough. There's no rush. You wouldn't want to interrupt the floor show, after all." he told Kyou.

As if I'm really interesting in the floor show, Kyou snorted. The only thing in the smoky, overcrowded saloon that he was interested in were the attentions of the very pretty Tohru Rose. He couldn't even remember the last time he had felt such an instant connection to someone, an overwhelming desire to make up for the time they had lost. But that thought was ridiculous! The two of them had never even met before!

That didn't explain why her eyes had seemed so familiar, why he had felt so drawn to protect her from harm...it made no sense whatsoever. He glanced for a moment at the floor show where the owner Ayame came out to bask amongst the affectionate attentions of his ladies before his attention was once again brought back to the table by his unwelcome visitor.

"Perhaps I need to refresh your memory, Kyou. I think you and I should step outside and talk." the voice said.

Kyou frowned. "And if I refuse?" he asked.

The other man chuckled. "I don't think that would be in your best interest." he told him.

Frowning, Kyou stood up to make his way outside only to be stopped by Tohru, who was looking up at him in concern.

"I'm sorry, Kyou. I didn't mean to take so long to get to your table. I hope you didn't leave me a tip. I certainly didn't earn it. I didn't know you would be leaving so soon." she told him.

Kyou smiled. "You did nothing wrong, Tohru. I promise I'll leave you a very generous tip next time." he told her.

On impulse, he leaned in towards her and brushed his lips across her cheek, avoiding her startled look as he quickly exited the saloon. Touching her cheek where he had kissed her, she didn't even notice Momiji walk up next to her.

"Tohru, your customers are getting restless." he told her.

"What? Oh yes, of course. I'm sorry." she told him, returning to her job on the floor.


	4. conflicted emotions

Disclaimer-Fruits Basket does not belong to me.

Kyou snorted once he and the one that had escorted him out of the saloon faced each other in the dim lights of the city.

"I should have recognized your voice, but it's been at least ten years since I've had the misfortune of knowing you, Yuki." Kyou said.

"I meant what I said about you having a lot of nerve. Imagine stepping foot in the town where you committed the most heinous act of your criminal career." Yuki said.

"Well, you can trust me when I tell you that it wasn't intentional. I don't believe it was a coincedence though that I just happened to bump into you here as well." Kyou said.

Yuki smiled. "Well for your information, I have paid my deby to society and am now on the right side of the law. You see, this is pretty much my town now, and the locals and I look down on anyone who dares to go near our Tohru." he told him.

Kyou's eyes widened. "You mean that young barmaid? What's she have to do with this?" he asked.

Yuki frowned. "That young barmaid is engaged to another, and you can trust me when I say I'm not the only man in this town that will protect her virtue from drifters like you." Yuki said.

"For your information, I do not plan to be a common drifter. I have come here to seek legitimate employment." Kyou said.

"Is that so? And what makes you think I won't arrest you?" he asked him.

Yuki's eyes widened as Kyou lunged towards him and grabbed his shirt collar in his hands. "Becuase I'm older than you are, that I've always been stronger, and that I could snap your neck without a second thought." he threatened.

Yuki snorted as he slapped his hands away. "Let go of me, you heathen. I'm not frightened of you. As a matter of fact, I have a proposition for you." he told him.

"Is that so?" Kyou asked.

"Well, I just happen to know that our former partner, my cousin Hatsuharu, is headed towards this town in search of vengence against you. The people of this town have seen enough troubles to last them a lifetime. If you can manage to find yourself a legitimate job and stay low profile until he passes through, I'll allow you to leave afterwards without any trouble from me." he told him.

Kyou folded his arms in front of him.

"I suppose this means that I stay away from this barmaid Tohru as well." he said.

"That would be advisable, considering that I'm not the only one in that matter that you would have to contend with." Yuki said.

Kyou smiled. "I'll consider your offer overnight. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon, Yuki." he told him, walking away.

Yuki sighed as he walked away, relieved that his hours of duty were over for the day. I wouldn't have such a hard job protecting Tohru if her so-called fiancee would do his part to watch over the innocent teen. Guilt was a relentless mistress, he sighed, wishing more than ever that he could have stopped his cousin from pulling the trigger that day...

"Excuseme, doctor, but your fiancee is here to see you." Hatori's assistant informed him.

Hatori looked up from his paperwork on his desk, smiling as he shut his folders. "Oh yes. Please show her in." he told her.

"Good afternoon, Hatori. I hope I haven't disturbed your work." Tohru said.

The tall doctor stood to embrace his young fiancee, parting from her with a smile. "Of course not! It's always a pleasure to see you. You know you are always welcome. You look as lovely as always and I see you took the time to change out of that barmaid dress Ayame insists that you wear." he told her.

"I will be well rid of it once you and I are married, Hatori. I didn't visit to disturb you. I just came by to say hello, since I don't see you very often." she said.

Hatori smiled as he sat down and lifted her onto his lap. "Yes, and I plan to remedy that as soon as possible. I am building a very good name for myself, for us here and I want to be able to provide for you properly." he said.

Tohru smiled. She knew it would do her no good to argue with him. Even as noble as his intentions were, there was a big part of her that wanted to contribute to their household as well, for her job as a barmaid not to be frowned upon by the man she loved.

It was the one and only issue that they stood on different sides of, but a very important one. she'd made a mistake the night before by neglecting to serve the newcomer in town quickly enough, but when she had seen him again this morning, he had shrugged it off as if it were nothing and had paid her the tip he had promised.

His name was Kyou, she remembered...and she had felt that jolt again when their hands had touched, and she was pretty sure he had felt it too. She had never felt anything like it before, the sudden heat that rose in her for some reason whenever he was near. She knew she had never felt that with Hatori, not even now as she slipped her small hand into his much larger one.

She was truly as innocent about such matters as everyone thought she was, but she couldn't deny that there was something between the two of them. What made that even moe confusing was the news Ayame had told her before she had left for the day.

"Is something wrong, sweetheart? Yuo seem preoccupied." Hatori said.

"I was just thinking about the new bouncer that Ayame hired this afternoon. His name is Kyou. He seems like a nice man, but he just came into town in search of a job and has the most awful limp. I hope he'll be able to do the job alright." she said.

Hatori nodded. "Yes. Ayame does seem to have a soft spot for drifters. That's the reason I dislike you working at that bar. I'm just grateful that you haven't given in becoming one of his dancing girls." he told her.

Tohru blushed. "There's no way I could do something like that. I'm nowhere as pretty as his lead dancer Rin is." she said.

Hatori thought about that for a moment.

"Oh yes, I think I remember her. The young woman with the black hair that tends to flaunt her body. She really should act more ladylike." he said.

Tohru nodded in agreement. "Well, I hate to leave so soon, but I'm supposed to meet Momiji for dinner. You are coming to pick me up after work?" she asked.

Hatori shuddered from the thought.

"Yes, if you insist on me doing so." he said.

Standing up and brushing the wrinkles from her dress, she allowed Hatori to give her a chaste kiss goodbye before she left. Even that didn't feel like it had when Kyou had brushed his lips across her cheek, an unexpected act that had made her heart race then and even now...

"Tohru, do you need to talk? You've been really out of it lately." Momiji told her.

Tohru frowned as she looked down at the delicious salad she had just been picking on for the last few minutes, a nice meal that her best friend had treated her to.

The wealthy son of a local rancher, Momiji had nearly been inseperable from her since they were children and always seemed to know her best. If it wasn't for her engagement to Hatori, she definitely would have given him a second look. He was tall, handsome ans had the most gorgeous shoulder length wavy blonde hair. She very rarely saw him without a smile and he never let her say no to taking her out whenever he wished. He had always told her that even though they were just friends, she meant the world to him and it made him happy to see her happy.

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking about that new bouncer that Ayame hired, the one named Kyou. It's weird, but I swear that I've met him before, like he's someone from my past." she said.

"I heard him talking to our sherriff Yuki. I think they may have known each other at one time. You know I hate to mention this, but wasn't Yuki in prision for a few years for being an associate of the Crimson Haired Bandit?" he asked.

Tohru shuddered, thinking of this. Even ten years after that fateful day, she stil had nightmares every once in awhile about losing her parents that day.

She had blocked out a lot of what happened to preserve her own sanity, but she could remember that there were three men involved that day, mere teenagers. She supposed one of them could have been Yuki, but her most vivid memory of two taller boys wrestling for another's brandished weapon.

She didn't see which of them had pulled the trigger, but when the smoke had cleared, the one that called the Bandit himself had been holding the gun.

Seeing his lady love at the verge of tears, Momiji took her into his arms to comfort her.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I should n't have mentioned it at all. Please forgive me." he told her.

"Thank you, Momiji. It helped to talk about it really." she reassured him.

"Maybe it would help to talk to this Kyou person. I mean, you're going to be working together, right? I'm sure Ayame wouldn't want any conflicts between you and this newcomer." he said.

Tohru smiled as she wiped her tears away. "Yes. You're right as always. Thank you, Momiji." she said.

He smiled as she returned his embrace.

"Anything for you, Tohru." he told her.


	5. an innocent kiss?

Disclaimer-Fruits Basket does not belong to me.

"Well, you clean up nicely. What did you say your name was again, handsome?" one of Ayame's dancers asked Kyou.

He adjusted his uniform in the dressing room mirror, not meeting her eyes. "My name is Kyou. What's yours?" he asked.

The young woman smiled with a laugh.

"The name's Rin. Ayame certainly has a good idea for hiring the most suitable for the job. That limp is unslightly though." she commented.

Kyou frowned as he watched her sit down in one of the dressing room chairs, her short dress rising up to reveal her long legs that never seemed to end.

"It's not something I can do anything about. I've been this way since I was a teenager, ten years." he told her.

She smiled at him then. "Is that so? Well, I've been told that I'm very good at helping people forget their problems. I wasn't surprised when I heard that Ayame had hired you. You looked like a ruffian that first night in the saloon, very suitable for the job." she said.

"I wasn't there very long, but yes, I remember you as well. Like me, you seem suitable for the job you perform as well." he told her.

Rin laughed. "That's a roundabout way to give a girl a compliment. I guess that if we find each other mutually interesting, perhaps I can arrange it with Ayame to allow me to be your escort instead of that other man." she said.

"What other man?" he asked.

Rin sighed. "He won't tell me his name. All he ever does is watch me avidly during the show, pay me for a dance in front of everyone afterwards, and then has me service him in his private room. He's a pecuilar man, but he pays well." she said.

Kyou smiled. "Well, if you're looking for someone to rescue you, I'm more than willing. Other than that...we'll just have to see." he said.

She smiled back, looking him over slowly from head to toe appreciately.

"That's a proposition that I defenitely can't refuse." she said.

"What do you mean, you won't be able to see me tonight after the show?" Hatsuharu asked Rin.

She looked over at him where he was sitting up beneath the covers of his unmade bed, the setting for their very recent interlude. She smiled prettily at him as she adjusted her stockings and slipped on her shoes.

"I'm sorry, but Ayame arranged for me to entertain one of his new hires. He's not nearly as handsome as you are and he has a terrible limp, but Ayame is our benefactor after all and it's best to do as he asks." she sighed in mock regret.

Haru's eyes widened. "A limp, you say? What did you say his name was again?" he asked her.

"I didn't say, but his name is Kyou. He's the new bouncer at the saloon. Ayame hired him as some personal favor to our sherriff or something. It's none of my business really." she shrugged.

Rising out of bed to grab her wrist before she could stand up, Hatsuharu smiled as he looked into her eyes.

"That's very interesting news, but I think you should stay and entertain me some more since you'll be with another man tonight." he told her.

She smiled as he took her wrists in hand, pinning her beneath him on the bed. She put up no resistance as she kicked off her shoes and gave herself to him. As much as she fancied the very attractive orange haired drifter, she could not deny her desire for the man in her arms, the delightful aggressive creature with the toned, lean physique, with the warm hands and talented mouth that knew exactly how to make her quiver all over...

"It's hard to believe how well the saloon has been doing nowadays. The girls have been busier and more in demand than ever before, and my lovely Tohru has been bringing in twice as many tips. We must find some way to celebrate all of this. Perhaps with a dance of some sort!" Ayame proclaimed.

Tohru smiled as she recieved her drink orders from Shigure. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Ayame." she said.

Shigure nodded. "Yes. It would be a very good opportunity to you and Hatori to be seen in public together. Surely he can leave his office long enough to bask in the beauty of such a delicate flower." he bemoaned the fates.

Tohru blushed. "I'm sure he would love to come. He wouldn't want to offend Ayame, after all." she said.

Ayame nodded in agreement. "Yes, especially after coming to me personally to ask for your hand...I expected nothing less." he said.

Momiji hopped down from his bar stool.

"Here. Let me take your drinks to your table. I'll give you the tip, I promise. You should check on our new hire, make sure he's adjusting to the job okay." he told her with a wink.

Tohru nodded, understanding completely. "Yes. I'll do that. Thank you." she said.

As she made her way to Kyou's station, Tohru smiled brightly at the arrival of the town sherriff. "Good evening, Yuki." she said politely.

"Good evening, Miss Rose. I just came by to see how you were doing tonight. It seems the saloon is the place to be." Yuki said with a smile.

"It probably has to do with the new routines Ayame's dance troupe is performing tonight. He's made them some new dresses too. I've also heard that our new bouncer has been drawing in new female clients." she said.

Yuki smirked as he looked over at Kyou working the door, a group of female fans giggling amongst themselves nearby.

"Yes. He never has seemed to have trouble attracting women." he muttered to himself.

Tohru stared at him wide eyed. "Did you say something, Yuki?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing of any importance. Please don't let me interfere in your work. I'll be seated in my usual place until you return." he said.

Tohru smiled. "Okay. Thank you." she said.

Feeling a little self conscious, Tohru nonetheless made her way to where Kyou was standing, looking very debonair in the proper dark blue navy suit he wore.

"Good evening, Kyou." she greeted him.

Kyou smiled. "Good evening, Tohru." he replied.

Tohru blushed as he struggled to find her voice again. She felt relieved that he wasn't taken aback by her selfconsciousness, but rather tha the looked upon her with softened eyes. He looked even more handsome than usual tonight, his neatly styled orange hair framing his boyish face.

"I'm sorry. I've completely forgotten why I came over here." she apologized.

He smiled. "That's alright. I appreciate the company. It's been a slow night for me, outside of some of the citzens taking an interest in me. I guess you don't have many rowdy customers." he said.

"Well, there is this one man that Ayame's been keeping his eye on. Every night he pays my friend Rin a lot of money to do a stiptease for him in front of everyone and demands his money back if he doesn't do as he asks. It's almost vulgar sometimes the things he asks her to do for him." she said.

"Is that so? What kind of things does he ask her to do?" he asked.

Tohru stared up at him, expecting to be offended by his blunt question. but actually finding it to be more of an interesting challenge. He bent down as she whispered into his ear about the things she had heard, blushing furiously as she parted from him.

Kyou stared at Tohru then with new interest, shocked and slightly aroused by the seemingly innocent girl's words. He couldn't even remember the las time he had spoken so candidly about such matters with a woman. The blush on her face told him that she was even less accustomed than he was.

"I'm sorry. I guess I asked for too much information. You didn't have to answer." he said.

Tohru shook her head. "No, it's fine. It's just that I've never experienced things like that, so it's all kinda shocking. I mean, I'm engaged and my fiancee has never even kissed me like some of those girls have been before." she sighed.

Kyou swallowed hard at her words, feeling sympathy towards her wistful tone of voice. It was hard to believe that any man could resist wanting to kiss and embrace this beautiful woman the way a man should, in a powerful, passionate way that would tell her in no uncertain terms how much he cared for her.

He recalled the words his mother had always bemoaned when they lost his father, that sometimes a woman needed to feel loved, that the man in her life needed to express his feelings for her so there would be no doubt.

Whover this fiancee was, he must be a fool to make Tohru have to feel this way and Kyou contempleted if there was a way he could remedy the situation.

He soon had his answer as the saloon lights dimmed to begin the floor show. He impulsively reached down to take her hand in his, leaning in close to whisper in her ear.

"If you'll give me a minute, I'd like to talk to you privately." he said.

She returned his stare, feeling that strange connection between them again.

"Okay." she said.

Leading her into a private corner of the saloon where nobody could see them, she stared up into his darkened eyes as he fixed his gaze on her.

"Tohru..." he whispered.

She let out a squeak of surprise as he suddenly pinned her to the saloon wall and took possession of her mouth with his. She gasped from the intensity of it, a firey, passionate kiss that gave her no choice but to respond. He moaned into her mouth as she leaned her body against his, pulling her hips roughly against his own.

He hadn't planned to be overwhelmed so quickly by their kiss, as if every sense of his being was ablaze with need for her. His ardor only increased as she continued to respond in turn, swallowing her moan as he allowed his tongue entrance to her mouth. Arching his hips into hers, he lost himself in the feeling of her curves against him, his hands roaming up from her waist to encircle her breasts. He choked on a moan as she began to allow him to unbutton her dress to reveal them to her, nearly comign undone from the thought of folding his tongue around her luscious nipples...he gasped in surprise as she suddenly slapped him across his face.

"Kyou...I'm sorry. I didn't mean...I didn't realize what I was doing." she told him.

He shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. You were completely right to do that. Please forgive me." he said.

"I'll admit that I said I wanted to be kissed like that, but I am an engaged woman and I'm nothing like my friend Rin. I'm sorry. Excuse me." she said.

Kyou shook his head with regret as he rubbed his cheek where she had slapped him. It was not like him to take a romantic interest in someone furthur than they desired, and he was defintely not the kind of man to seduce a engaged woman.

There was just something about Tohru, something that made him want to be close to her, to be the man that fulfilled her desires to be kissed properly and even to be made passionate love to...no, that was ridiculous, he thought. A woman like Tohru deserved better than that, a man just like this honorable fiancee of hers. He had crossed a line between them tha the knew he couldn't take back, but he resolved to himself that he would not make the same mistake twice...


	6. hatori or kyou?

Disclaimer-Fruits Basket does not belong to me.

Rin was disappointed to see that Hatsuharu had not appeared as he usually did to watch her headline the dance troupe. She had wanted to show him the new costume Ayame had made for her, a fetching red number that made her even more conscious of her body than usual.

She knew that the platinum haired outlaw would have loved to have seen her in it, but perhaps the night would not be a total loss. Ayame had arranged for her to entertain Kyou at the new bouncer's own request, and she found him to be a very sweet temptation.

Kyou and Hatsuharu were both such devastatingly sexy men that she found it hard to resist either of them. The difference was that she had sampled what Hatsuharu had to offer, and hadn't yet to unwrap Kyou from that handsome suit for herself.

Hatsuharu was a dream come true for her with his bold, open sensual nature and dangerous aura, but there was just something about a man like Kyou, a man who was unaware of how much power he held over a woman. She was drawn to him in too many ways to count, and she silently thanked Ayame for the dress she knew he couldn't help but notice her in.

"Did you see the floor show, Kyou?" she asked him.

Kyou jumped slightly, startled by her abrupt greeting as he turned to face her.

"Good evening, Rin. No, I'm sorry. I was too preoccupied watching the door." he said.

She smiled. "That's alright. It's almost closing time anyway. Do you want me to wait for you in your room or will you escort me?" she asked him.

He took the moment that she had given him to answer the question to take in her dress, a gorgeous red satin and black lace creation of Ayame's.

"It wouldn't be polite of me to behave as anything but a gentleman to a lovely lady." he told her.

She smiled. "Thank you. I'm ready to leave whenever you are." she said.

"Here, Tohru. Let Shigure see to cleaning up the saloon. I'm sure he won't mind. You shouldn't have to spend your time cleaning up while you you wait for Hatori to pick you up! Maybe Yuki will see to putting on some music for us so we can share a dance to pass the time?" Momiji asked her.

Tohru smiled as she watched Momiji take the broom out of her hands, smiling up at her as he waited for the music to start. She felt comforted by their presense there with her, Shigure, Yuki, Momiji.

Shigure was always more than happy to do her share of the work and Momiji always seemed present wherever she was. Yuki being at the saloon at such a late hour was normal for her, his way of keeping his eye on the local ruffians. Accepting a dance from Momiji was the perfect distraction from the thoughts that consumed her.

She was not surprised at all to see Kyou leave with Rin, especially after what had happened between them during the floor show. She had completely forgotten about Hatori coming to pick her up, she was so consumed with the memory of being in the orange haired drifter's arms.

He had taken too many liberties when he had tried to do more than kiss her, and she shouldn't have even allowed him to do that. She flushed as she remembered the feeling of his lips against hers, warm and sweetly inviting.

No man had ever, ever kissed her like before and she had been helpless to resist him, wanting to intensify the kiss between them. If she hadn't come to her senses at that moment, somehow she knew that his kisses could only be a prelude to more and her body ached with unanswered fulfillment...she blinked up into Momiji's eyes as he stared lovingly at her.

"Oh Momiji..." she bemoaned the fates.

She flung herself into his welcoming embrace, needing his closeness even more than usual. He returned her embrace warmly, as if he knew without words that she needed that. She rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh as the song ended and Hatori made his entrance known in the saloon.

"I sincerely hope you're ready to leave, Tohru, becuase it's not good for my reputation to be seen here." he told her.

Tohru nodded as she parted from Momiji. "Yes. I'm ready." she replied.

Ayame chose that precise moment to make his appearance from behind the beaded curtains in front of the ladies dressing room.

"Well, if it isn't Hatori, my future son-in-law. This is an unexpected surprise." he said.

"Good evening, Ayame. Tohru and I were just leaving. I hope you will excuse our abrupt departure." he told him.

Ayame smiled. "Certainly, by all means." he told him.

Momiji considered the couple thoughtfully as they left.

"You know, I have a sneaking feeling that maybe her and Hatori's marriage may not be such an inevitability after all." he told the others.

Yuki considered these words as he made his way to the exit of the saloon. "You've always seemed to know Tohru best. Whatever happens, I'm sure it will be for the best," he said, thinking of her association with Kyou, whispered, "I hope..."

Rin wasn't used to being with men like Kyou. Usually the men she was hired to entertain were much more lively, unable to take their hands off her even before they made it to the room.

Hatsuharu was definitely that way, he sometimes even went so far as to suggest that she discreetly straddle him during her dances on the saloon floor. She guessed she could appreciate Kyou for being a gentleman, for walking quietly alongside her as they walked up to his room.

Once inside, he watched her thoughtfully as he took off his dark blue jacket and unbuttoned his tailored white button down shirt to make himself more comfortable. Again he surprised her, she would not have taken him for the bashful type. She was okay with that, she didn't mind being the one to make the first move.

She moved up close to face him, her eyes meeting his as he helped him to unbutton his shirt the rest of the way. Allowing the material to fall against his chest, she admired the view before reaching out to brush her palms across the lean planes of his chest.

He seemed to warm to her a little then, not reaching out to her himself, but allowing her to touch him. She parted from him for a moment to rid herself of the heavy dress, his eyes taking in the matching costume underneath. She had wanted Hatsuharu to see her in it first, but the look in Kyou's eyes made it worth it her while to wear it for him instead.

Moving her arm around his narrow waist, she leaned in to capture his mouth with hers, surprised by the moist warmth she found there. Yet even as he parted his lips to allow her to partake of the taste of him, it seemed as though his heart wasn't really into it. Despite her profession, she liked for her partners to be willing, even if she was sure they were able.

"Kyou, do you want me to stop? It seems like you're off somewhere else." she said.

"I'm sorry. It has nothing to do with you. You're gorgeous, stunning...any man would be fortunate to be with you. It's just that my mind is on someone else." he told her.

Rin's eyes widened. "You have feelings for someone? You haven't even been in this town long enough to have met anyone, unless you've been here before, but I'm sure I would have remembered you if you had." she said.

Kyou shuddered as the memory of that day ten years before flashed through his mind.

"I don't believe you have any place to talk, considering that from the way you seem to hold back that there's someone else you would have rather been with tonight." he said.

She sighed in defeat. "Yes. It's true. I find you very attractive, but there is a man I've become taken with. He almost reminds me of you, only with a sharper edge. I didn't expect you to be so understanding." she told him.

She smiled at her. "Believe me, I've seen my share of unhappiness, and I don't ever want to be the source of that ever again." he told her with a voice filled with regret...

Although it was not the first time that Hatori had picked her up from work, Tohru was surprised when he didn't immediately drop her off as was his custom.

"Would you allow me to escort you for a moonlit walk tonight, Tohru?" he asked her softly.

She smiled at him. "Of course." she replied.

It had been nearly a year since he had proposed, and it seemed like it had been just as long since they'd spent quality time together. His gentle demeanor reminded her of when they had first been dating, how respectful and courteous he had been then.

Until the time they had met, townspeople had spectulated about the quiet girl with mant admirers, wondering whom she would choose to marry. Because he was a doctor and she the orphaned victim of the Crimson Haired Bandit, the town had celebrated their engagement.

Tohru knew she would not change anything about her and Hatori's relationship. Even though it was true that he was conservative in his affection for her and that he disliked her choice of occupation, these minor points were trivial compared to the feelings they shared.

She did not need grand romantic gestures to feel loved, and she would be more than happy to sacrifice being a barmaid for their happiness. That wouldn't change her friendships with Yuki, Momiji or Shigure, and their marriage would definitely make Ayame happy. He had been most pleased when Hatori had come to him to ask for Tohru's hand and had given the marriage his blessing.

Somehow, as she and Hatori walked hand in hand in the moonlight, all her concerns about her conflicted emotions melted away. What had happened between her and Kyou had been a mistake, a momentary lapse of reason that she would not allow to happen again.

She would admit that he was a very attracive man and that the kiss they had shared had been incredible, but she did not love him. He was a stranger to her, a nice man that she had allowed to cross her boundaries. The man she loved and was destined to marry was the one that stopped to smile at her beneath the dimmed lights of the front of where she lived.

"Tohru...you know I love you, right?" Hatori asked her.

She smiled at him. "Of course I do. Why would you ask such a thing?" she asked.

He took her hands in his. "I feel guilty for not having been there fpr you lately because of my dedication to my mediacal practice. I hope you understand that I do not wish to be apart from you so much, that I just want to be able to provide for the two of us once we are married. You deserve nothing less." he told her.

Tohru shook her head. "You don't have to explain. I love you, Hatori, and I'll wait as long as it takes as long as you and I are together. There are no doubts in my heart about my feelings for you." she told him.

She gasped softly as he took her into his arms for a warm embrace, the pair holding each other beneath the stars. She had nearly forgotten what it felt like to be close to him, to feel his slender chest and arms around her, his heartbeat steady and sure. His tender embrace was a welcome comfort, and she returned his smile as they parted.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening, Tohru." he said.

She barely had time to respond in turn as he took her chin in his hands and kissed her lips tenderly, stroking the side of her cheek with his fingers as he parted from her for the night.

"Thank you, Hatori. Good night." she whispered back with a smile.

So, the rumors were true after all, Hatsuharu thought. His former rival had decided to show his face in town. In a way, he guessed it was understandable, considering that the three of them had grown up there. It wasn't like anybody recognized the two of them.

It had been ten years since that fateful day and he himself was considered to be the town playboy whose playmate was his favorite dancer Rin at the Rose Saloon.

Since their leader Kyou was considered to be a redhead according to the local legend, Kyou's orange hair lent no creditability to anyone's suspicions except those that knew him best. The townsfoll were aware of their sheriff Yuki's criminal past, but had accepted him because he had paid his debt to society.

Despite all this, it was just his own habit to stay low profile, only revealing himself as the dangerous lover of his dancer girlfriend. He had known it would be only a matter of time before Kyou returned to the scene of the crime and his mistake had been becoming interested in the saloon owner's daughter.

Was the wanted outlaw not aware that she was the same girl whose parents they had ended the lives of that day? True, he had been the one to pull the trigger, but lucky for him, the Crimson Haired Bandit had soiled his already ruined peputation by being accused of the horrible crime.

Even though it had been ten years, he and Kyou still had a score to settle, a bitter fire between them than not even time had managed to put out. Protecting Tohru was the least of his worries, he would even sacrifice her if she got in the way. It was only a matter of time before he would put an end to his rival's life with no one in town being the wiser...

Nearly screaming in pain as he sat bolt upright in bed from the searing pain in his leg, Kyou winced as he tried not to double over in pain. It wa only every once in a while that the gunshot wound that had disabled him acted uo so severely, a constant reminder of his wretched youth.

He had gone to sleep that night dreaming of Tohru, of her beautiful eyes and soft hair, of how she had felt in his arms. When he would lick his slightly chapped lips to moisten them, he could still taste her mouth on his, his body heat rising as he remembered the feeling of her skin beneath his hands, and how he had wanted to pleasure her at that moment.

It wasn't as though he was a stranger to such encounters. He had been with many women on and off over the years, but he had only desired one thing from all of them and they had not asked for more.

Tohru was different. He would admit that he found her very attractive and would do anything to share her bed, but he wanted more than just that. He wanted to share her heart, to be the man she loved and came home to every night.

He knew somehow that his life would be complete if she loved him, and that he would spend every waking moment letting her know that she was loved and appreciated.

Despite the fact that she had pushed him away when they had kissed, he knew that she could not deny the chemistry between them, the unspoken bond that had existed even before they had been introduced.

There was just something about her that seemed so familiar that he could not put his finger on, but he knew he would figure it out when the time came. He envied the cool, serious doctor that claimed to be her fiancee and fell back into a restless sleep, wondering if the pair even shared the same sort of feelings he felt just from a mere touch of his and Tohru's hands...

It was rare for Tohru to have a day off from work, and even more unusual for Ayame to close the saloon for the day to prepare for the dance in Tohru's honor.

It was his over the top way of putting the limelight on the success of his business and especially to showcase the young woman he had lovingly raised as if she were his own.

He was thrilled by the number of citzens that offered their services to help them get the ball rolling, including Shigure, Yuki and of course Momiji. Even though he was aware of the young man's unrequited crush on Tohru, he appreciated that the two of them were such close friends and that she had someone she could always talk to and confide in.

"This was a great idea that Ayame had, Tohru, although I have to admit if you and I were togehter, I'd want to throw a party for you every day just because we were together." Momiji gushed.

She embraced him affectionately.

"You would be the perfect host, I'm sure of it. I just know that your parties would rival the most fabulous celebrations ever held." she gushed back.

"You are truly a woman of vision, Tohru. Hatori is lucky to have you." Momiji said.

Tohru blushed. "Thank you." she said.

"By the way, you never told us if you had a chance to speak to Hatori about escorting you to the dance, because there's plenty of us that would be happy to do so if he won't." Shigure told her from behind the bar.

Tohru smiled. "Oh yes, we talked about it last night even though I knew he would before I even asked. I think it's wonderful how all of you look after me. I'll be sure to show my appreciation by sharing a dance with all of you." she told them.

"Of course the first man to dance with you will be me, considering that I am the one that raised you with such care and was the first to recognize your true beauty." Ayame boasted.

She walked over to her guardian and embraced him warmly, the weight of his silken mane of silver white hair registering against her shoulder.

"You don't know how much I appreciate this. You really are like a father to me." she told him.

"Thank you, Tohru. You don't know how much that means to me." he told her.

"I'm surprised that Kyou isn't here today." Tohru commented out loud.

Yuki nodded. "We asked him if he wanted to help out, but he told Ayame that his leg had been troubling him lately and he was going to spend the day at the doctor's." he told her.

"Is he going to see Hatori or someone esle?" she asked.

Yuki shrugged. "I'm not sure to tell you the truth. He's always seemed to go his way." he blurted out without thinking.

Tohru stared at him then. "Then it's true what they say about you having known him before?" she asked.

Yuki nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately, we ended our friendship on a sour note and went our seperate ways." he told her.

'Was it because of your association with the Crimson Haired Bandit?" Momiji asked him.

Tohru turned on her best friend then as she saw Yuki bow his head in regret.

"Momiji, you shouldn't ask such things! Yuki joined the right of the law years ago and has never been anything but kind to me since that day." Tohru scolded him.

Yuki shook his head. "No. I deserve to be condemned for my past. I was there that day that her parents' lives were ended and I can never take that back even if I wanted to. A lifetime of saying I'm sorry could never bring them back to you." he said.

"No, Yuki. I don't blame you. I don't know who pulled the trigger that day, but there's nothing I can do now except make peace with my past like my parents would want me to." she said.

"You are the strongest woman I know, Tohru, and I admire you for that. Don't ever doubt that that, among many other reasons, is why the people of this town care so deeply for you." Momiji told her.

Tohru smiled. "Thank you, Momiji, Yuki, Shigure, Ayame, all of you...now let's put all this gloominess behind us to concentrate on the party ahead." she said.


	7. secrets revealed!

Having never experienced such an emotion, Rin was unsure of how to tell if she was really in love. Were the feelings she felt towards Hatsuharu the same ones that Tohru and Hatori felt towards each other, or were they like the ones Kyou felt towards his mystery lady? Whomever that person was, she envied them just a little bit being the object of Kyou's affection. A man like Haru was only able to express his affections physically, and she guessed, due to the lifestyle she had chosen, she shouldn't expect anything more.

Her benefactor Ayame had recognized her beauty long before she had, while she, Tohru and Momiji had still been in school. She had taken his admiration of her as a compliment, considering that the well known tailor was renowned for his talent for picking the most beautiful women for his dance troupe. When he had asked her to join, she had not hesitated, desperately wanting to feel as glamorous and gorgeous as his other beauties.

She could still remember how exciting it had been and still was whenever he would design a dress especially for her and how it felt being the center of Ayame's attentions. The handsome tailor doted on his girls as much as he did Tohru, basking in their affections at the same time.

Yet somehow he could not give her what she most wanted, and had been searching for through all the men she had spent time with over the years. At one time, she'd considered accepting Ayame's proposals of marriage, but she was far too young to marry him and did not see herself as worthy to be a stepparent to Tohru since they were the same age.

She would admit to caring very much for the charismatic older man, but she needed someone whose personality was closer to hers, someone who lived a little on the edge and wasn't afraid of what anybody thought of them, just like Hatsuharu...

She had to admit the two of them together sounded ideal, even if it wasn't realistic. The only time he really showed interest in her was when she was on the dance floor or when they were alone together. Even as embarrassed as she would get sometimes when he would make his risqué requests in the saloon, he was a thoughtful and patient lover behind closed doors.

She always made it worth his while to be the man she chose to spend time with, his sinfully hot body always enflaming hers whenever they would touch or kiss.

She often found herself wondering too if Tohru and her fiancée experienced such feelings themselves. Having been one of Tohru's closest friends all through school, it seemed unlikely that this was so, considering how much she herself had been changed by the experience.

Tohru was still very innocent and naive about many things and she rarely ever saw the two of them together. It was hard for her and Tohru to talk nowadays due to their busy schedules, but once Tohru had matured, her attentions had been pretty much captured by her male admirers in town. They were both very popular in town for their own very different reasons, and Rin sighed as she sat back in her dressing room chair backstage at the saloon in the dark.

Rin only jumped slightly as she felt a pair of hands slide across the back of her shoulders, not having to turn her head back to know exactly who it was touching her.

"Haru...this is an unexpected surprise." she said.

She knew that he had smiled even without having to see his face.

"You feel tense. You have something on your mind?" he asked her.

She sighed, hoping he would keep going with his impromptu massage. "Nothing of any importance." she replied.

He chuckled, coming around from behind her chair to kneel before her. She smiled upon seeing his face, looking as handsome as he always did. She reached out to brush her fingers across the soft hair at the nape of his neck tentively, inhaling softly when he nuzzled her wrist affectionately.

"I think I know what you were thinking about, and if I'm right, then it was definitely important, at least to me it was." he told her.

Before she could respond, he raised up on his knees to cup her face in his hands before pressing his lips firmly against hers.

This kiss somehow felt different from the others they had shared in the past, as if he were trying to convey his unspoken feelings for her in the slow, passionate kiss they shared. As much as she had bemoaned the lack of an emotional connection between them, her womanly desires for him sparked when he stroked his tongue inside her mouth, realizing now that her thoughts of him had indeed been just as important as the ones he was expressing to her now through his steamy, erotic passionate kiss...

"Excuse me, what did you say your name was again?" the receptionist asked the slightly ailing orange haired man waiting in the waiting room.

"My name is Kyou." he told her.

The receptionist blushed. "I'm sorry. It's my first day here. The doctor will see you now if you're ready. Do you need some help coming back?" she asked.

Kyou winced as he used the arms of the office chair to ease himself up onto his feet, his damned injury picking the worse times to act up on him.

"No. I can make it on my own." he told her defiantly.

Kyou gritted his teeth angrily as he slowly made his way back where the doctor was waiting to see him, cursing the fates that had kept him from seeing Tohru that afternoon at the saloon.

He wanted to apologize for his behavior, even though he was sure she wouldn't accept his words. He knew now he had crossed a line with her, and he respected the young teen too much to be disrespectful. For ten years, he had been trying to mend his ways after the near disaster he had almost made of his life as a wanted outlaw.

Thanks to the ridiculous nickname he had been given back then, it was easy for him to keep a low profile just in case. There were few besides his victims and his former partners that knew him as the Crimson Haired Bandit and he aimed to keep it that way.

He knew his telltale limp was one of the things his enemies would zero in on in their search for him, and he tried his best whenever it would get really bad to stay in hiding.

Fortunately for him, he only committed one heinous crime in this small town, one that wasn't even his own fault, and it seemed the only townspeople that remembered him was their sheriff Yuki.

Kyou had always despised Yuki, the sullen, weak cousin of his greatest rival. The quiet teen with the remorseful violet eyes and pretty boy looks had always been more of a burden to them than anything, only really useful as a lookout or to distract the law as he and Hatsuharu made their getaways.

He almost snickered when he remembered how they wouldn't fairly split the money between them, him and Hatsuharu telling Yuki that he was less deserving than they were, even if he had come out worse for the wear from a heist.

He knew that Haru had secretly resented him for cruelly teasing his weak cousin and Haru would always treat Yuki's wounds with extra care out of gratitude to him. How Yuki had managed to become a law officer was baffling, but it did seem like the boy he had known was a much stronger person now, even if he was sure he wouldn't be able to hold his own against Kyou.

It seemed like it was taking forever to make his way into the doctor's office, and it gave Kyou too much time to think about unplesantries, like his past as an outlaw.

Remembering Yuki's warnings about Hatsuharu showing up in town to get his revenge, he knew that this mild inconvience was probably for the best. Yet at times like this, the nightmares that sometimes plagued him at night would make themselves known during the day.

He cried out loud as his injured leg roared in disagreement at his movements, reminding him of when that fiery pain had first inflicted itself upon him. When he had fallen to the ground that day with the gun in his hand, his first and only concern had been the horrified eyes of the young girl whose parents Hatsuharu had killed.

It was the last time in his life that anyone had ever looked at him with such confusion that he had almost taken his own life just to avoid her eyes. The only thing that had saved him was his desire not to blamed for the crime, and to take the life of their true murderer.

Neither one had happened within the ten years since then, his outlaw name tarnished with six years of victimless crime until he had become infamous for his one and only double murder, and his search for Hatsuharu...well, he had avoided the man just as much as he had tried to find him to even the score.

He wondered what had happened to the young girl he had almost befriended that day. He could still remember her wide, innocent eyes and wavy black hair that brushed against her shoulders. Even then she had been a very pretty little girl...he imagined that she was probably devastingly beautiful by now, even if she was a little emotionally scarred.

He knew all about the heartache of an absent parent, and an innocent soul torn from her parents at such a young age...she couldn't have possibly survived such a thing without a few scars.

Did she still live here in town, he wondered, or had she moved away a long time ago? Maybe he had already met her during his time there, and neither of them had known whom the other was...but that couldn't be possible.

The only person in town that even bore a faint resemblance to that girl he had known was the syrupy sweet barmaid of the Rose Saloon with the soulful, wide eyes and long, wavy black hair that rested gracefully against her back...no, it couldn't be, he thought with a barely muffled gasp.

Before he could contemplate this thought further, his attention was brought back to the present by the doctor assisting him onto a nearby exam table.

"Good afternoon. My name is Hatori. I'll be your doctor today. Just try to relax and we'll see what we can do about this injury of yours, alright?" Hatori told him in a calming voice.

"So, he did go to see Hatori after all?" Tohru asked Momiji.

The blonde teen nodded as Shigure prepared them both a drink as they took a break from decorating the saloon.

"Yes. Hatori is the best doctor in town, after all. I'm sure that whatever is causing his limp will be much better after their visit." he reassured her.

Tohru nodded, understanding completely. This did not keep her from worrying about the mysterious drifter with orange hair though. As angry as she was at him and at herself for allowing him to kiss her the other night, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

He had nearly fallen into her arms this morning when he had come down from his room, trying to act as though the pain he felt was a normal occurrence. He didn't fool her though. She had seen him barely limping about since he had arrived, and she supposed that it was only once in a blue moon that it really bothered him like it had today.

When she had caught him by the shoulders when he had nearly tumbled down the stairs, their eyes had met and she had seen a look of regret there that she couldn't understand the reason for. It probably could have been many things, like their kiss, his almost ploughing into her, regret for being thought of as weak because of his injury...the reasons baffled her.

The only other person she had met in her life that had a reason to have such a terrible limp had been the Crimson Haired Bandit. Her memory was a little fuzzy about what happened that day, but it had been easy to figure out that the bullet that had taken her parents' lives had also managed to pierce the outlaw's knee, his red blood staining the pants he wore to cover the wound. She had been too young to do anything more than weep helplessly, and she still remembered the Bandit's last words to her in a voice that still echoed familiar...I'm sorry...

"Tohru, are you okay? Do you need to sit down?" Momiji asked her.

She hadn't even realized that she had gotten woozy from remembering that day until she saw Ayame and Shigure run to her side when she had lurched forward.

Momiji draped his arms around her shoulders with one arm tightly around her waist. "I'll take her upstairs so she can get some rest before tomorrow night's festivities. I'm sure Hatori would worry otherwise." he told the others.

Ayame nodded in agreement.

"You do that, and I'll call Hatori at the clinic. He should do his duty to watching over her well being anyway. Thank you, Momiji. Tohru and I appreciate your friendship." Ayame told him.

Momiji smiled. "I love her, Ayame. That's what you do for someone you love." he replied.

Shigure and Ayame watched in concern as Tohru let out a squeak from Momiji picking her up into his arms to take her upstairs easier. The two men trusted her best friend completely, even if they were worried about her.

Once upstairs, Momiji pulled back the blankets on her bed, easing her between them and covering her with them. She opened her eyes to look at him as he knelt beside her bed, brushing her hair away from her face soothingly.

"Thank you, Momiji. I hope you know I love you too." she told him.

He smiled as he kissed her forehead tenderly. "I know. You're everything to me, Tohru...just promise me the first dace tomorrow night and we can call it even." he said.

She smiled back. "That's a promise." she said.

While he considered her a worthwhile distraction, Hatsuharu's involvement with the ever charming Rin was still a distraction. The good part about his dalliance with her, however, was that it gave him plenty of time to formulate scenarios in which he would enact his revenge.

He gained almost sadistic pleasure from these thoughts, wondering if it would be better to take revenge on Kyou by his own hand or by allowing him to be exposed to the town for who he was.

Both concepts held about the same appeal. If he were to do it himself, he had several methods he could employ, including taking Kyou prisoner and torturing him to death slowly or ending it quickly with some sort of weapon.

Those methods would be much kinder than anything the townspeople would inflict upon him once they found out who he was. Haru snickered when he considered the public's outrage, gunning the outlaw down in a shower of bullets, or being arrested and executed for his crimes.

It would be too easy to reveal all of Kyou's secrets since he was aware of things that only a choice few knew in this town. Kyou was the Crimson Haired Bandit and that no one connected to the orange haired drifter to his outlaw past.

He also knew that the young barmaid Tohru was the grown daughter of the couple he had taken the lives of ten years before. It was the incident that had caused her to be the one the town favored, the orphaned victim of the Crimson Haired Bandit.

He knew for a fact that Kyou was in town, thanks to Rin tipping him off about taking a job as the saloon's bouncer and that he had actually seen his enemy that morning as he had stumbled down the saloon stairs into Tohru's arms.

It did not surprise him in the least to see the connection the pair had with each other, considering the circumstances that would eventually make them enemies. Even a sweet, trusting girl like Tohru would be left reeling when she found out who the disabled orange haired drifter really was.

Haru knew he could bide his time and consider scenarios to his heart's content until the time came to strike, depending on the choices that Kyou made during his stay, his own preoccupation with the dancer Rin, or however his emotions happened to lie at any given moment about the wretched shared past that he couldn't manage to forget...

"Well, I'm going to tell you this, which I'm sure you've heard a million times, it looks like a very old bullet wound that you seem to have taken very good care of over the years. Judging by the extent of the injury, I'd say that you're lucky to be able to walk at all." Hatori commented.

Kyou sighed. "Yes. It's only when it really flares up that it reminds me of a past I can't forget." he told him.

"I hear that a lot from my patients, so you can trust me not to talk to anyone about your condition. It's hard enough to survive out there even without a disability." Hatori told him.

Kyou nodded, understanding completely. He and the doctor Hatori, a young man with a calm, serious voice and short dark hair, had only talked for a short time, yet seemed to understand each other completely.

He guessed that maybe Hatori had once had a troubled past before getting involved in medicine, but he did not press him for information. Hatori had granted him the same honor, concerned slightly about the severity of the injury, but respecting his need for privacy. This alone made Kyou respect the man, making him an easy choice to the continuing care of his limp.

"You're free to leave whenever you desire..." Hatori began to say to Kyou.

Both of their heads turned as there was a knock on the clinic door. "Excuse me, doctor. There's a phone call for you." she told him.

Hatori smiled. "Thank you. I'll take that in here." he replied.

"Good afternoon, Hatori. I'm sorry if I interrupted you during a visit with one of your patients." Ayame told him.

"Not at all. It's always a pleasure to hear from you. What might I do for you?" he asked him.

"I was just calling to inform you that my lovely Tohru has taken ill this afternoon. Momiji told me it was because of her remembrances of that terrible day, poor thing. I'm sure it won't affect her attendance at tomorrow night's dance, but you may want to pay her a visit as soon as you can." Ayame said.

"Yes, of course! I'll be there as soon as I close up shop for the day...thank you for calling me, Ayame." he said, hanging up.

Kyou winced as he moved down off the examination table, studying Hatori more than he was the prescription he had handed him. "I'll take it that wasn't good news?" he asked.

Hatori sighed. "I guess it's your business as well since I took the call before I ended our visit...no, my fiancée Tohru has taken ill this afternoon. It doesn't happen very often, thank goodness, only when she remembers about ten years ago." Hatori told him.

Kyou winced again as his knee jerked involuntarily. "Ten years ago?" he asked.

"I'm surprised you haven't heard. I wasn't here at the time myself, but when Tohru was eight years old, her parents were killed by the Crimson Haired Bandit. It was very traumatic for her and she still has problems dealing with it to this day...oh Kyou, I'm afraid your knee has started bleeding." Hatori told him.

Kyou looked down at his blood soaked knee, obviously his body's reaction to the news he had just received. Gods, he shouted internally, she was the one! The adopted daughter of the man that had given him a chance as a bouncer at his saloon, the adorable little girl he had wanted to avenge for ten years...beautiful, sweet Tohru was the victim of his rival Haru's brutal attack!

Bloodlust and anger coursed through his veins even as it felt as though the pain would never cease in the wound that he had been inflicted with at the same time.

Her barely heard Hatori's instructions to accompany his nurse to clean up his bleeding knee, so she could bandage him up and send him on his way with a pair of borrowed crutches. The last thing on his mind as he passed out from overexerhition was concern for Tohru...


	8. the morning of the dance

As Tohru opened her eyes later that afternoon, the first thing she saw was the concerned face of her guardian Ayame.

"Ah, it looks like our delicate flower has finally awakened." Shigure announced from across the room.

"Ayame, Shigure...where am I? How long have I been out?" Tohru asked.

"Only for a couple hours. You became woozy downstairs in the saloon and Momiji insisted on bringing you to your room. How are you feeling?" Ayame asked.

Tohru smiled. "Much better now, thank you. I hope you didn't call Hatori and worry him." she said.

"I wasn't sure how long you were going to be out, so I was a little concerned and thought it best to call him. He told me that the had his own emergency of sorts, aiding a new patient that had passed out not long after you did." Ayame said.

"It was that new hire Kyou that works for us as a bouncer. He had gone in for a knee examination, but Hatori said that the wound mysteriously started bleeding profusely after Ayame told your fiancée the news." Shigure commented.

Tohru sat bolt upright in bed. "Oh no! Poor Kyou! I should go check on him..." she began.

Ayame smiled and pushed her back against the mattress. "Don't worry, he's fine. Hatori sent him back to the saloon properly bandaged on a pair of crutches. He only has to use them until he feels he can walk on his leg again. I'm sure he appreciates your concern for him, but Hatori suspects that Kyou himself may have worsened his own condition worrying about you." he told her.

'Kyou.." Tohru whispered, relaxing against her pillows as Ayame whispered gently to her, his hand cool and soothing against her heated forehead.

"You should get some sleep now, Tohru. Ayame, Momiji, yuki and I will be around to check on you from time to time. Please...get some rest." Shigure told her.

Tohru nodded in agreement, allowing sleep to overtake her once again, the last thought on her mind on thoughts of Kyou...

Hatori was used to people reacting strongly when it came to Tohru, since she was the favorite of almost all the townspeople in their small western town, but the extent of Kyou's concern had surprised him. He had checked into his charts and found that information on him was sadly lacking.

That wasn't so unusual, Hatori thought, considering how families would sometimes falsify medical records to keep family secrets secret and whatnot, but it didn't seem as though the orange haired drifter had anything to hide. Kyou had barely been in town a week, so he guessed his concern for her had stemmed from their working together at the saloon.

He was not a big fan of the place himself, but tolerated it for Tohru's sake. Yet, what had fueled Kyou's anger at the situation, he wondered. For never having heard Tohru's unfortunate story, he certainly had seemed emotionally involved...he shrugged it off.

That was just the way people seemed to react once they got to know his Tohru. She was beautiful, sweet and innocent, and there wasn't a man in town that wasn't in love with her, secretly or otherwise. He was secure in their feelings for each other, so he had no reasons to worry as he sighed and lit himself up a cigarette before heading to the Rose Saloon....

"Please Tohru, you're going to hurt my feelings if you don't eat this soup I made for you with my own hands." Momiji pleaded with her at her bedside.

Tohru's eyes softened as she stared up into the caring eyes of her best friend Momiji. After he had taken her upstairs to rest, he had gone home and made a special soup just for her with the best ingredients he could find.

Yuki had followed him back to his house with offers to help, and she was grateful for both their efforts. She reached out to stroke a hand across his face, noticing that he was a little feverish himself.

"Momiji, maybe you should be eating this soup yourself. You feel a little warm." she told him.

"It's just because we've been worried about you. You know how dedicated Momiji is to you." Yuki told her.

She smiled at them both. "Yes, I do know. Thank you." she told him.

Momiji took her hand in his and kissed it delicately. "Just know I'm holding you to your promise, Tohru. That's good enough as any to make sure you feel better by tomorrow." he told her.

"Good evening, Momiji, Yuki." Hatori greeted them as he walked in.

"Hatori." Tohru said.

He smiled as he sat down beside her on the bed. "Hello Tohru. Really, you shouldn't encourage these boys to fawn all over you like they do. I have a hard enough time fending off strangers' reactions for the woman I love." he told her.

"I'll assume you're speaking of that young man Kyou that I hired as a bouncer at the saloon? You have no need to worry. I can actually respect a man whose best interests are centered on my lovely Tohru. I'm very pleased to see that you have come, Hatori." Ayame told him.

"I guarantee you not a moment was wasted in my arrival to my beloved's bedside. I'm sure Tohru can understand that as a doctor, I have a responsibility to my patients as well." he told Ayame.

Tohru smiled as she reached out to stroke a hand across his cheek. "Yes, of course. I completely understand." she said softly.

Ayame motioned for all of the others to leave the room as Hatori bent down to kiss Tohru's lips softly. "Come on, gentlemen. Let's give these two a moment alone." he told them.

The four men reluctantly departed, leaving Tohru and Hatori alone together. She wasn't surprised in the least to see him shuffle through his medical bag that he had brought along with him. He had performed various medical exams on her many times before, one of the perks of being engaged to a doctor, but nothing where she had to undress for him. He respected her modesty and had never asked for more than she was willing to give.

"Is it okay if I check your vitals, Tohru?" he asked her.

She nodded in silence, unsure exactly of what he meant, but relaxed as he placed a thermometer in her mouth and held a hand to her forehead. His hands are so warm, she thought, much like Kyou's had been. She didn't want to have that knowledge to compare them, but something about the kiss she and Kyou had shared mad her wish that Hatori wasn't always such a gentleman.

"Aren't you going to listen to my heartbeat?" she asked him.

Hatori smiled. "I was just getting to that, my love. You can go ahead and sit up." he told her.

And she did so, uncovering the gauzy white nightgown she had worn to bed. It covered her just as a flannel nightgown would, only the material was more delicate and the tiny pearl buttons on top allowed her the option of increasing her comfort level.

She watched him as he searched for his stethoscope, undoing a few buttons to expose her neckline. When he turned to face her, he stifled his sharp inhale as he looked upon her. Not missing a beat, she reached for his hand and pressed the instrument just above her breast.

"Inhale, and then exhale for me, Tohru." he choked out.

She did so, him gasping again as he could feel her tender flesh rasp up and down against his fingers. Pulling the stethoscope from his ears, he stared at her as he pushed his hand down further to just above her breast.

"I'd say that you were just fine, Tohru. Everything seems normal." he said.

She leaned in towards him, her dress loosening as he registered the warm of her breast beneath his fingers. He did not hesitate to kiss her back as she pressed her lips against his, imitating what Kyou had done with her not too long before.

Feeling Hatori's hands respond the offer she had made him, Tohru moaned into his mouth as she recalled how much she had wanted this then. She had very little knowledge of what went on between men and women, but her instincts told her that the man that should be kissing and touching her was not Kyou, but her fiancée Hatori.

She wanted him to usher her into woman hood, to pay homage to he sensitive breasts and bury his manhood into her damp center. She was tired of being proper and innocent, she wanted to be made passionate love to...but was it...was it Hatori that she really wanted?

She gasped as she choked on the words she wanted to say, feeling Hatori part from her mouth to head down to where her nipple was nearly exposed.

"Hatori, wait please." she told him.

He stared at her for a moment. "What's the matter? Do you want to stop? You know I would never do anything you don't want me to." he told her.

It seemed as though his words and actions were contradicting themselves as he took in the beauty of her full breasts concealed by the flimsy nightgown.

"Tohru..." he whispered with a smile.

"Hatori..." she choked out.

He kissed her again, a deep, lingering kiss. "I've waited a whole year to hear you say my name like that, Tohru..." he began.

"Please Hatori...wait please. I can't do this! It's too soon...please stop." she said.

Pulling away from her with a confused look, he smiled as he watched her fix her nightgown. "I'm sorry." she said.

Hatori shook his head. "No. I'm the one that's sorry. I took your sweet invitation further than you intended me to. When the time is right, we'll both know it. I love you, Tohru. I'm willing to wait as long as it takes." he said.

She smiled. "I love you too, Hatori. Thank you for coming to see me. I'm sure with a little more rest, I'll be fine for tomorrow." she said.

"Yes. That's doctor's orders." he told her.

"Thank you." she said, her last words before falling again into a deep slumber...

"I've always said that a good rest was always the best medicine, my lovely Tohru. I'm glad to see that you're feeling much better today. I would've hated to see you miss the surprise I had for you for the dance tonight." Ayame boasted proudly.

After spending the day relaxing, letting her guardian Ayame cook her breakfast and then a hearty lunch, she hadn't expected him to thank her in any way. She genuinely enjoyed his company and especially his flamboyant, high strung way of pronouncing his every little action with such high regard.

"You didn't have to do anything special for me, Ayame. Just being with you is a reward in itself." she said.

He embraced her warmly. "Oh, you truly are a dear! No, my darling, I simply had to design a gorgeous dress for you to wear this evening. I daresay that it is not nearly as risqué as some of the dresses I've made for the dancers in my troupe, but you will surely look divine in it!" he proclaimed to her.

She held her breath as he held up the dress in question, a stunning purple satin and lace dress similar to the one he had seen him design for Rin. She had always secretly envied Rin for being the one that inspired Ayame the most, her perfect figure leading him to create the most exquisite masterpieces.

It was just modest enough not to reveal any more skin than she desired, but at the same time, revealed enough to make any man want to see more.

"I know you're not used to wearing such dresses, Tohru, but you're growing up now and you're not my little girl anymore. I want you to be the belle of my ball tonight, to outshine all the others as you always do. This is truly my proudest moment." he sighed.

She embraced him again, both of them trying to keep from shedding happy tears against each other's shoulders.

"I don't know what to say...thank you, Ayame." she said.

"There is a white one to match it as well. my wedding gift to you and Hatori. I was going to wait to give it to you, but I wanted to make sure it fit properly." he said.

She looked upon the white dress and saw the sexy ensemble beneath the material. "Yes. I see what you mean. I'm sure it'll be fine." she told him, blushing furiously.

He laughed softly. "Yes. I believe this as well. Would you mind fixing my hair for the dance, Tohru? I simply must look my best for my escort after all, since Hatori will be doing his duty to you." he said.

"You're taking Rin then?" she asked.

He smiled. "As if there was a doubt. It just wouldn't do to be seen without my head dancer! And she does look rather lovely on my arm too!" he proclaimed.

Tohru laughed softly in her happiness as she took the brush from Ayame's hands to pass it through his long mane. His gorgeous silver hair was always a pleasure to groom. He always kept it tangle free and pleasantly fragrant. She knew for special occasions he always wore it in a long braid down his back to put the emphasis on his still youthful, boyish face.

She wondered how her many admirers would react seeing her in such a costume. She already knew Hatori and Momiji's reactions. Hatori would appreciate her with quiet resolve, Momiji with exaggerated romantic gestures. She loved how opposite they were that way, curious about Shigure and Yuki's reactions as well. And what of Kyou, she wondered. Would he notice her as well, or would he even be there?

"Ayame, is Kyou going to be at the dance?" she asked him.

Ayame nodded. "Yes, but because of his injury, he has requested to work instead this evening. That poor creature detests the crutches Hatori made him use. I can certainly understand. I wouldn't want to feel helpless like that either." he said.

Tohru nodded in agreement, returning to the work at hand. So Kyou was going to be there after all, the one she had been thinking about when she had considered giving herself to Hatori. She didn't know what it was about this drifter that made her think such things, but she hoped she would get her chance to confront him and find out...

Kyou was sure that Tohru wouldn't even notice his absence as an active participant in the Rose Saloon dance this evening, not with all the attention he knew she was bound to garner being the guest of honor. He knew for a fact that Ayame and Rin were going to arrive together, and wondered if Tohru's guardian was the one Rin had spoken of having feelings for.

It seemed perfectly reasonable, since it was obvious Ayame's world revolved around Tohru and Rin. Yuki had informed him that Tohru would be escorted by her fiancée Hatori and asked him to keep his distance.

"Who the hell are you to tell me whom to associate with? Tohru and I are

co-workers and friends. I don't give a rat's ass about this Hatori character." he said.

"Well you better, because he's the one who's going to marry the girl all the men in town care about." Yuki said.

"And that includes you, doesn't it? You have no more place giving a damn about her than I do." Kyou said.

Yuki snorted. "Get in line. The person that is next in line after Hatori is Momiji, and he's been waiting to be with her since they were children. With him and Hatori in the running, you don't stand a chance!" he exclaimed.

Kyou turned away from him then to prepare for his evening's work hours, keeping the memory of his and Tohru's kiss to himself. What was it about Yuki that made him even think that he should have anything at all to do with Tohru anymore, he wondered.

He knew now that Hatsuharu had killed her parents and that he had taken the blame, the infamous Crimson Haired Bandit. He cringed when he thought that she might find out who he really was, and wished his sense of duty to Ayame was strong enough to keep him in town long enough to keep his promise to Yuki. As much as he hated the bastard, he was a man of his word and that, along with his need to be close to Tohru from a distance was enough...


End file.
